Fighting for Love
by MaeMusicMelody
Summary: Time is ticking until graduation. In the recent months, Nozomi has been spending more time with Maki and less with Eli. When Eli and Maki realize they both have feelings for Nozomi, both set out to win Nozomi's heart. ( NozoMaki, NozomixMaki, NozoEli, NozomixEli, a little KotoUmi and RinPana on the side. EliUmi, NozoNico, RinMaki friendships added.)
1. Chapter 1: Piano Room

**Maki** : Mou... Another story about me and Nozomi-chan?

 **Nozomi** : Don't pretend like you don't enjoy it!

 **Maki** : ...Shut up

 **Me** : I don't own any of the characters. I hope you enjoy! Dont forget to leave a review~

* * *

The days seemed to go by faster and faster as they fell into the same routine: get up, school, lunch, more classes, practice, then home. Each day passed at a blink of an eye and no one seemed to notice. Everyone was too busy with their activities and getting through the day to even think about it.

Maki, however, spent much of her time thinking about just that. Her quiet evenings alone, sitting at the piano to play some music or at her desk doing homework gave her all the room to just think.

Today was no different. Nimble fingers danced across the white and black keys, filling the school's music room with a sweet melody. Despite the music she was making, her mind wandered off into its own little world. She thought about how she had got to this point, how she become part of muse and formed friendships with all its members. She thought about how nice it was to finally have people in her life instead of isolating herself the way she had done most of her life. She thought about how three of them were going to graduate soon, bringing an end to their group. Then what? She wondered if the remaining six would stick together even if they weren't spending their days training and making music together. Would they even speak to each other as much as they did now? Would the three leaving for college have enough time to visit, or even contact any of the six friends they left behind?

Completely engrossed in her thoughts with her fingers still playing songs on autopilot, Maki didn't even notice someone walk in until she felt the warm body against her right side and a familar voice speak.

"Neh neh, Maki-chan. As pretty as it sounds, you're being really sloppy... How disappointing! To think I came all the way here to listen to ya play."

The teasing words caused her to make a sour face. Stopping what she was doing, she placed her hands in her lap then looked at the older girl with a pout. "L-like you can play any better, Nozomi-chan!"

"Is that a challenge?" The purplenette rose an eyebrow.

"If you can even call it a challenge."

"Alright then. Watch an learn from your senpai!"

Maki scooted over slightly, giving Nozomi a bit more room to play. She listened to the older girl play and instantly recognized the song. The familiar tune made her feel at home, bur she wouldn't admit that. "The River Flows in You? You always play that Nozomi... Play something else!"

Nozomi chuckled, giving Maki a little nudge. "But you always love it when I play this song. You even fell asleep on my lap last time." Her words left Maki huffing with bright red cheeks. Nozomi started adding notes to the current song as she transitioned to a different piece. Unlike the relaxed tone of the first piece, this one was much faster with a more lively pace.

"Fantasie Impromptu? When did you learn that one?" Maki blinked in surprise. She's never heard Nozomi play that song before.

"Ya know I like Chopin. I prefer slower songs, but I learned this one a while back." Nozomi grinned, pleased to give Maki a little surprise. "Impressed?"

"Mmm.. Not really. I can still do better!" Maki shrugged, unwilling to admit to Nozomi that she was indeed impressed.

"Alright after you." Nozomi put her hands down, giving Maki access.

"Hmph. Watch a master." Maki smirked back at her. She began to play. Unlike Nozomi's airy and light piece, she went for a more dramtic tone. Fingers pressing heavily onto the keys and alternating between slow and fast parts. Eventually as she got into the rhythm of the piece, she began to put her heart and soul into the piece. The further into the piece, the faster it became until her fingers could barely be seen pressing the notes. By the time she finished the song, she was out of breath. When was the last time she had played that particular piece?

She felt an arm wrap around her and warm breath against her neck as Nozomi rested her head against her shoulder. "That was beautiful Maki. You should teach me that one!"

Maki smiled softly at her. The first time Nozomi had showed up to watch her play, it was so awkward for her. She thought that the older girl would give up at some point and leave her alone to her music, but Nozomi kept showing up. At some point, she learned that Nozomi could actually play as well, much to her surpise. Nozomi really was like a mystery box which anyone would love to open up and learn its secrets. After some time, the shy first year grew used to the third years company to the point where she could now welcome the older girl's affection. To think that only months before, Maki would have been super uncomfortable being this close to anyone. How time has changed... Time.

"Of course I can show you. Well... If you have time, that is." The last few words coming out as a silent mumble, clear disappointment in her voice.

"Maki..." Nozomi sighed. So thats what this was about. When she had come here to spend time with Maki, she really did notice how sloppy her playing was. It was as if the girl wasn't even playing attention to what her fingers were doing. So she was right to believe that Maki had been lost in her own thoughts. "I'm sorry I haven't been around as often. Student council and work on top of graduation-"

"I know." Maki cut her off. The hurt tone in her voice rang throughout the room. "You, Eli-chan and Nico-chan are graduating, I get it. Off to college."

Nozomi paused, letting Maki's words sink in. "You know we will all visit. Remember Nicocchi has her siblings to take care of still, and Alisa will be going here so Eli will be visit often."

"What about you. I'm guessing you'll just forget about us, right? It's not like you have any reason to come here all the time like those two." Maki's smile had faded by now as she stared angrily at the piano keys, not even willing to look at the other.

"I have you." The words caught Maki's attention. Nozomi chuckled as the redhead turned to stare at her, a blush clear across her cheeks. "And I have the rest of the girls. I care about all of you. I wouldn't just abandon you like that."

The ressauring words helped Maki to relax, but not by much. She couldn't help but feel a little pang of disappointment when Nozomi grouped her up with the other girls, but it was to be expected. Its not like she was special to Nozomi in comparision with the others. "Hmph. Whatever. It's not like I care if you visit or anything!"

"Uwah. How mean, Maki-chan. I thought we were friends." Nozomi made fake upset noises. "You don't wanna see me anymore?"

Maki flinched. Part of her knew Nozomi was just trying to tease her, but the other part of her felt just a smidge bad. "I-I didn't mean it like that! Mou... Nozomi..."

Nozomi wasn't done messing with her. With a pout across her face, she cupped Maki's cheek with the hand that wasn't at Maki's waist and forced her to look at her. "Then say you want me to visit you!"

Staring into Nozomi's emeralds only made Maki's face flush a deeper shade of red. Her rested her head against Nozomi's chest and burried her face at the crook of her neck in an attempt to hide her burning face. "Of c-course I want you to visit me you idiot! S-stupid Nozomi..."

Nozomi laughed, utterly amused. She hummed softly, playing with Maki's red locks for a few moments before pulling out her phone to send a text.

At the same time, Maki was busy trying to relax so the blush would go away. She closed her eyes and listened to the soothing sound of Nozomi's heart beat. It was tempting to stay like that, warm and comfortable with a silent tune being played only for her to hear, but of course the world didn't work that way. That and she didn't need Nozomi assuming weird things! She got off Nozomi a bit to see her busy on her phone.

"Eh... Who ya texting?" She asked.

"Elicchi." Nozomi replied, keeping her eyes on the phone. "Just letting her know I won't be going to her place for dinner."

"Huh? But you don't have work today. Why aren't you going?" Maki gave her a confused look.

"Cause I'm hanging out with you tonight!" Nozomi grinned brightly at her. She got up to pick up her bag then headed towards the door. "Well ya comin' or?"

"Eeeeehhh?!" Maki got up and started to gather her stuff. Nozomi had already left the room by the time she was finished, forcing Maki to scamper after her. "Nozomi! Who even said I would hang out with you tonight?"

Nozomi turned around, glad to see the younger catch up. "Do you not wanna hang out then?"

"I m-mean! I do-"

"Good!" Nozomi smiled at her happily. "Let's pick up dinner then you can sleep over at my place~"

"Mou... Fine..." Maki sighed, giving in. There was no use arguing with the older girl anyway. Nozomi woild figure out a way to get what she wants anyway. Still, Maki couldn't help but smile to herself with a light feeling in her heart.

* * *

 **Me** : Such a cute Maki-chan?

 **Nozomi** : Isn't she adorable?

 **Maki** : ...You guys are enjoying yourselves, huh?

 **Me/Nozom** i: Yep!

 **Maki** : Sighs... I hope the next chapter is less embarassing...


	2. Chapter 2: I'm NOT Jealous

**Me** : Here's chapter two. Sorry if there's errors. I have no laptop at rhe moment so I've been doing all my writing on my phone.

 **Maki** : Why don't you just wait for your laptop?

 **Me** : Because I wanted to write?

 **Maki** : Whatever. I don't care.

 **Nozomi** : ehe... Marcy doesnt own love live or it's characters. Don't forget to leave a review!

* * *

Just like every morning, Nozomi found herself waking up before the sun could creep through the cracks in the window shades and onto their faces. The sleeping redhead was curled up in her arms, her head against her chest where Nozomi's heart was and her arm wrapped around Nozomi's tummy. As much as she enjoyed the warmth of having the younger girl so close, Nozomi knew they should get ready for school. She tried to get out of Maki's grip, hoping to give her a few extra minutes of sleep while she went to the bathroom and made some breakfast, but it was no use.

"Maki-chan..." Nozomi rubbed the girl's back with the hand that had been around Maki's waist. "Maki-chan it's time to get up now."

The girl stirred slightly but refused to open her eyes. Instead she mumbled something while curling up more and trying to hide her face at Nozomi's neck.

"Maki..." Nozomi sighed, trying to pry the sleeping girl out of her arms. "If ya wanna sleep more that's fine, but at least let me go. I need to pee..."

Maki let out a light whimpering sound, but her grip loosened anyway. Now that she could move, Nozomi smiled and left a small kiss on the girl's forehead before getting out of bed and scurrying to the bathroom.

The great thing about getting up early was being able to eat a real meal. Sometimes she was too tired to wake up, especially when the previous day called for student council, idol practice, and work at the shrine combined into one evening. On those mornings she would get up at the last minute and pop toast in the toaster before running out the door. Even though she and Maki had stayed up late to chat about random things, Nozomi definitely felt rested and energized for the day. She went ahead and made two omelettes, one with extra tomatoes, as all as some bacon and some pancakes for them to share. Once she was done, she went back into her room to get sleeping beauty out of bed.

"Maki-chan! Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" Nozomi chanted, giving the girl a good shake only to earn an annoyed groan. Maki tried to turn around and hide under the blankets. Rolling her eyes, Nozomi grabbed the blanket and quickly yanked it off the girl. However, Maki still insited on resisting and hid her face under her pillow. Again, Nozomi just pulled the pillow off her face and earned another groan.

"Nozomi..." Maki whined, squinting one eye open. It was obvious she was not pleased.

"Don't Nozomi me. I've been trying to make ya up for forty-five minutes now. Get. Up."

"Geez Nozomi. You sound like my mom." Maki rolled her eyes then shut them again, determined to sleep some more. The smell of bacon caught her attention however, making her look up again. "Bacon?"

"Yes. And pancakes and omelettes with extra tomato, juuuust the way you like it~" Nozomi cooed as if trying to tempt Maki further.

"Mou... You really are a mom." Maki sighed in defeat. She sat up in bed and rubbed her tired eyes. Once she opened them, she found that Nozomi had walked to the other side of the room and shamelessly started to change into her uniform. As much as she wanted to shriek and shut her eyes close, she couldn't help but stare. Nozomi's back was turned to her but she was completely bare on top. The only article of clothing left on her was her pink panties that really did not cover much of her back side...

"Ya enjoying your show, Maki?" Nozomi asked nonchalantly as she put on her bra then slipped on her uniform.

Maki felt her face burn up and knew her skin must match her hair by now. Mumbling something incoherent, she stumbled into the adjacent bathroom and locked the door but not before hearing Nozomi's laughs.

 _What the hell is wrong with me..?_ She wondered to herself.

Her reflection stared back at her in the sink mirror as she washed her face with cold water. Something inside her felt so strange around Nozomi recently. She had atrributed it to how she had been spending more time with the older girl and they had grown rather close, but this was just strange. The fact that she had the desire to be around Nozomi so much and the way she couldn't help but stare at her sometimes were both things she didn't understand. The way her heart skipped a beat whenever Nozomi would kiss her cheek or the way her stomache felt warm whenever Nozomi called her name... All these feelings were so new to her.

 _Relax Maki. It doesn't mean anything_. She tried to convince herself.

Thankfully Nozomi didn't say anything more about it once she got out of the bathroom. Maki quickly changed into her uniform then joined Nozomi at the table to eat breakfast.

"You're getting better at this." Maki smiled happily as she took another bite of her tomato filled omelette.

"Been practicing." Nozomi mumbled, her mouth stuffed with food. "Better hurry. I don't want to keep Elicchi waiting."

"Can't she just go ahead?" The bitterness was subtle enough where Nozomi may not have noticed. She finished up her plate of food then took it to the sink.

"Don't be like that, Maki-chan." Nozomi followed to put her dishes away. "Ya know I always walk with Elicchi to school."

"Whatever." Maki shurgged. "I don't really care."

Nozomi locked the door behind them and tucked away her keys in her backpack. Smiling, she offered her hand to Maki who hesistantly accepted.

Eli was already waiting at the spot she and Nozomi always met up at. When Eli saw them approaching, she waved at them with a bright smile on her lips. Much to Maki's displeasure, Nozomi let go of her hand and ran to the blonde, throwing her arms across her shoulders and giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Ohayoooo Elicchi~" Nozomi squealed as she hugged her best friend tightly.

Eli has long been used to Nozomi's display of affection, but the fact Maki was standing there watching caused her to blush slightly. "G-good morning Nozomi. Maki. Did you guys sleep well last night?"

"Very! Ehe~ Maki is such a cuddler, Elicchi." Nozomi gave Maki a teasing grin.

"Is that so?" Eli couldn't help but bite back a chuckle when she saw Maki's face turn the same color as her hair.

"Mouuuu! It was cold..." Maki tried to make an excuse.

"Ma...Ma... Maki-chan." Nozomi fanned the air as if dismissing her excuse. "Elicchi is just a big of a cuddler as you whenever she sleeps over."

Eli cross her arms over her chest and frowned. Why was she getting teased all of a sudden? "Hey! You always insist on turning off the lights... The dark is scary..."

"Tch, you two and your excuses." Nozomi crossed her arms behind her head as they walked towards school. She gave them a smug look, letting them know she wasn't done with her teasing. "Ya both should just admit you loooove cuddling with me~"

"Geez Nozomi..." Eli sighed.

"Whatever..." Maki sighed as well.

"Huehuehue! Neither of you denied it~" Nozomi's grin only grew.

"If we did you'd just twist our words some more..." Eli stated.

Maki nodded her head in agreement. "And you'd probably make weird ideas about it."

Nozomi huffed and stuck out her tongue. "Ya guys are no fun sometimes! Anyways, I personally enjoy the cuddles. I don't see whats wrong with admitting that."

"There isn't. You just make it sound... So... Gay." Maki hesistated to say the word, a blush creeping on her cheeks again.

"I am gay." Nozomi stated so bluntly that both other girls flushed.

"Nozomi! I don't get how you can say that so bluntly." Eli groaned, dragging her hand across her face. Sometimes the things that came out of Nozomi's mouth...

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being gay. Besides... How can I help it when I'm always around such beautiful girls? Ehehe~" Nozomi snickered. She didn't have to turn her head to look. She already knew the expressions on both of the girl's faces and oh did she love it.

"I'm... Going to class. Bye." Maki headed off the other direction before she had to endure any more of Nozomi's teasing, leaving her fellow BiBi memeber to fend for herself.

"Byyyeee Maki-chan! See ya later~" Nozomi called out even though Maki was already across the hall way by then. Man, did that girl walk fast when she wanted to escaped embarassment.

"You and Maki have really gotten close huh?" Eli sighed. She felt Nozomi take her hand and give it a little squeeze. For some reason that little action made her relax a little.

"You sound so displeased about that. Don't tell me you're jealous."

So much for relaxing. Eli shot a glare at Nozomi, which only caused the girl to laugh.

"I am not jealous!" She argued. Sure she was upset that Nozomi canceled their plans just to hang out with Maki _AGAIN_. Maybe she wished that she had gone over to Nozomi's for dinner and a sleep over. Okay maybe the thought of Nozomi cuddling Maki while they slept inside of herself made her stomache feel strange... And the two of them walking over to her this morning hand in hand... Fuck... So she was jealous big whoop. It was underatandable! Nozomi was her best friend and the fact she has been spending less time with her to hang out with Maki... Its normal to get jealous right?

"Earth to Elicchi? Hello?"

Nozomi's voice finally brought Eli out of her own thoughts. "Huh? What?"

"Geez Eli, at least pay attention when I'm teasing you..." Nozomi sighed. She sat down at her desk and leaned against her close fist. "You were spaced out the whole way here. Is something wrong?"

Eli shook her head. "N-no... I just..

Um... didn't get much sleep last night. You know how I get when I'm tired." She laughed nervously, hoping that Nozomi wouldn't catch her lie.

Too bad Nozomi wasn't so easily fooled. She took note of the lie, but decided to leave to alone for now. Not that she much of a choice.

Class began at the sound of the bell. It was the same routine with the teacher lecturing his subject while the students sat quietly taking notes. Nothing particularly interesting happened today, making the class rather boring to the point Nozomi almost fell asleep. Soon class was over and they headed off to the club room to meet with the others.

"Hey... Nontan?" Eli tugged at Nozomi's sleeve as they walked across the busy hallway.

"Hmmm? What's up Eli?" Emeralds turned their attention to the blonde.

Eli coughed, averting her eyes nervously. It was strange considering she was just talking to her best friend but for some reason she couldn't look her in the eyes. "I was w-wondering if I could come over for dinner?"

"Yeah that's fine?" Nozomi tilted her head, not understanding Eli's behavior. "Any reason you're talking so strange?"

"N-no reason."

Nozomi continued to look at her, trying to understand what was wrong with Eli. "Well anyway, I have to help Maki-chan finish the composition so I have to stay a little bit. Do you mind waiting or would you rather go home first and I'll text you to come over?"

 _You always hang out with Maki... Give me a day_... Eli wanted to say but stopped herself. She thought of the opitions in her head before making her decision. "I'll just wait. I have some student council work to take care of anyway."

"Alright, sounds good to me!"

The duo walk into the club room to find Nico arguing with Maki and everyone else trying to settle them down.

"Oh geez what is it this time...?" Eli sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Nico-chan was trying to be cute and Maki-chan called her gross, nya!" Rin answered quickly.

"I am the most talented adorable idol in the world, how could you deny it?" Nico puffed up her cheeks, glaring at the redhead who only looked at her senpai with a bored expression.

"I can think of several other people who are cuter and more talented." Maki stated with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Why you little!" Arms wrapped around Nico before she could pounce on her junior. "Hey let go of me Nozoboobs!"

"Now now." Nozomi said calmly, giving Nico a tight squeeze around the waist. "Why don't we all just relax..."

"Not until she admits I'm the best!" Nico insisted, arms frailing around angrily.

"Tch.. Like that will ever be true!"

"Maki... Be nice..." The look in Nozomi's eyes made Maki pout, but she backed off as told.

The raven haired girl looked between the two and snickered. "Since when did Maki become Nozomi's puppy dog?"

"I AM NOT!" Maki growled, glaring at Nico as if she were going to bite her.

"Then why did you listen to her so easily? A hot head like you. Has no respect for her senpais..." Nico insisted.

"I have more respect for Nozomi-chan than I ever will for you, you little imp!" She argued.

"Why you little..." Nico bit her tongue and pointed angrily at Maki. "You're probably just acting like that because of your huge crush on Nozomi!"

Maki's face flushed a bright red that matched her hair. "I d-don't know what you've been drinking but that's not true!"

"Nyaaa? Maki-chan has a crush on Nyozomi-chan? Why didn't you tell me, nya?" Rin pounced on the table and whined.

"I t-think Nico-chan is just trying to mess with Maki-chan, Rin-chan..." Hanayi piped in quietly as she tugged at Rin's shirt to get her off the table.

"Ya right. Haven't you guys noticed how much Maki insists on working with Nozomi? Are you guys blind?" Nico stared everyone down like they were stupid.

"I thought Nozomi was helping Maki finish the instrumental?" Honoka tilted her head in confusion.

"She is helping Maki with the song..." Umi sighed, rubbing her temples in frustartion from all the yelling.

"Besides, Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan are together aren't they?" Kotori smiled brightly at everyone.

"What? Why doesn't nyanyone tell me what's going on?" Rin whined more as she banged on the table.

"They aren't together..." Maki grumbled, eyes still refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Her face was still bright red.

"Of course you don't want them together because you loooooove Nozomi, right?" Nico grinned, glad she finally had something over Maki's head.

Eli raised motioned her hands, trying to get everyone to settle down. "Please everyone, we need to start our meeting."

Umi nodded in agreement. "No need to get riled up by Nico's crazy accusations."

"Hey! Kotori is the one who said Eli and Nozo!"

"Again. Let's just relax and get our metting started..." Umi completely ignored what Nico said, causing Eli and Nozomi's faces to turn a slight pink. The two finally sat down, a Nozomi next to a nervous Nico who was preparing herself for a punoshment and Eli next to an equally flustered Maki. This was going to be a long meeting.

* * *

 **Me** : There you go. This is where the fun starts.

 **Eli** : This is embarassing...

 **Nozomi** : I think it's funny.

 **Maki** : For the record I don't have a crush on Nozomi-chan.

 **Eli** : Good...

 **Maki** : What do you mean "Good"?

 **Me** : Whoops... Um.. Please leave a review! Let me know what you want ro see in future chapters.


	3. Chapter 3: Jk I'm Jealous

**Me** : Here comes the drama!

 **Eli** : Oh goodnes...

 **Nozomi** : *is eating popcorn*

 **Maki** : *facepalm*

 **Me** : I don't own of the characters! Don't forget to Fav watch, and review! All support is appreciated.

* * *

Thankfully the meeting went on without any more attention to them. Instead, it consisted of Honoka yelling out random ideas for their next live, Nico aruging of what would be better, and Umi writing down whatever everyone agreed upon on the whiteboard. Soon everyone began to say gooodbye and filed out of the room.

"See you tomorrow everyone, nya!" Rin and Hanayo waved goodbye as they walked together down the hallway.

"I need to get going too. I have work today~!" Kotori smiled at everyone with a wave.

"I'll walk you there. It's on the way home." Umi murmured as she looked through her bag to make sure everything was there.

Honoka chimed in happily. "Wait up! I wanna come too. Kotori's cafe has the best cake~"

"Honoka... You're on a diet..." Umi scolded, giving Honoka a disapproving look.

"It won't hurt if it's only once in a while." Nozomi smiled at her juniors and gave Umi a pat on the shoulder.

"Geez you guys are annoying." Nico sighed, crossing her arms behind her head. She began to walk down the hall way with a small wave. "I'm off."

"Bye Nicocchi." Nozomi waved even though the other didn't bother to turn around.

"We're headed out too." The group of second years walked off.

"See you guys tomorrow." Eli called out as they walked away.

Nozomi turned her attention to Eli once everyone else left. "Alright Maki-chan and I are gonna head to the piano room."

Eli looked between the two and nodded. "Alright. I'm off to the student council room. I'll see you when we're all done."

"You two going home together?" Maki asked, hand reaching up to twirl a lock of red hair between her fingers.

"Elicchi is coming over for dinner. And I'm assuming you're sleeping over?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not." Nozomi chuckled and turned back to Maki. "Hey Maki-chan. Why don't you come over too? It'll be fun!"

Maki looked away and shook her head. "It's fine. I don't want to intrude."

"Aww come on. Elicchi won't mind, right Elicchi?" Nozomi whined, grabbing Eli's arm.

Eli sighed. Of course she minded, but she had to be polite. Maki was also her friend afterall and she didn't want Nozomi to be disappointed. "Of course not. Join us Maki. I'm sure Nozomi is cooking something delicious tonight."

"Seee Maki-chan! Will ya please join us?" Nozomi looked at her pleadingly.

Maki sighed, unable to bring herself to say no to Nozomi. "Alright. But just for dinner."

"Yattaaa!" Nozomi cheered. The smile on her face brought smiles to both of the other two girl's faces.

"Mou... Let's finish the song already, Nozomi-chan... I don't want to be here all night."

"Yeah. I should finish up my paperwork." Eli nodded in agreement. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Once Eli rounded the corner, Nozomi and Maki began to walk the other direction off to the music room.

"You really didn't have to do that." Maki sighed as she sat down on the piano bench and began to set up her sheet music. As much as she liked the idea of spending more time with Nozomi, she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on Eli and Nozomi's time together. She could tell Eli wasn't all that pleased, but Nozomi was oblivous to it.

"You're no fun. I know you like my cooking!" Nozomi replied, siting down next to Maki.

"Yeah but I was just there yesterday. I'm sure Eli would have preferred to spend time with just you."

"She was fiiiine with it! You heard her for yourself." Nozomi pouted, not understanding why this issue was being discussed. It was settled that both girls were coming over. "Besides don't ya wanna spend more time with me?"

"I mean... Y-yeah I do but-"

"See. Then no problem! I get to hang out with two of my favorite people and you both are enjoying so all is good." Nozomi's grin shifted to a teasing one as she nudged Maki's side. "Don't tell me ya actually have cold feet cause of your crushy wushy on me."

"N-nozomi!" Maki squeaked turning a bright red. She was praying to the gods that no one would bring that up after what happened today. "Are you really going to listen to stupid Nico?"

"Well your face seems to confirm her theory." A snicker escaped her lips. The older girl leaned forward while puckering her lips teasingly. "Would you like a wittle kiss?"

As much as Maki wanted to accept it, she held out her hands and pushed Nozomi's face away. "You dork! Would you just quit it?"

The purplenette laughed, resting her head against Maki's shoulder while wiping a stray tear from her eye. "Alright alright. You gotta admit though, what Nicocchi said today was funny. Like you and Eli would ever like me that way."

"Right..." Maki crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't help but be a bit irritated with what Nozomi assumed but she wasn't entiredly sure why. "Nico-chan is so annoying, saying such things..."

"Nicocchi can be a bit much sometimes." Nozomi agreed while continuing to laugh. She leaned over and kissed Maki's cheek. "Sorry for all the commotion today."

Maki's face flushed and she looked away, remembering why she always felt weird around Nozomi. "Whatever. It wasn't your fault anyway." She sighed, giving herself a second to take a breath. "Let's just finish this song alright?"

"Okay!" Nozomi nodded and began to play her part.

* * *

"Stupid Nozomi..." Eli mumbled to herself as she filed through the paperwork and sorted them into the correct files. Disappointment was clear on her face now that she was alone and didn't have to put on mask. Shr had been so excited to finally spend some time with Nozomi again. It seemed as though the closer they got to graduation, the less time they spent together. Sure. Both of them were swamped with graduation paperwork on top of their student council duties and idol practice. Nozomi also had to deal with work on most days. So it made sense that both of them had been too busy to really hang out. However, Eli had begun to notice how much time Nozomi has been spending with Maki and it hurt.

 _Stop it Eli. There's no need to be jealous. Maki is a good friend to all of us._ Eli tried to tell herself.

After today's events, she really did wonder if Nico was right. Previously she would never assume Maki had a crush on Nozomi, but now that she thought about it, it made sense. Maki has always been so reserved with everyone. Even during BiBi practices, Maki tended to just get through the work that had to be completed that day, maybe fight with Nico here and there, then leave. Although Maki had been slowly opening up to everyone, she still refuses to hang out with anyone outside school besides her fellow first years and Nozomi. She had surely become extremely close to the girl. To think that Maki even _cuddles_ Nozomi at night, when it was a struggle to get Maki to even hug everyone whenever they got together.

Another thing Nico said earlier stuck out in her mind. _Nozomi's little puppy dog._ Maki definitely has been following Nozomi around like a lost puppy. The younger girl really does listen to what Nozomi says and follows her direction. Of course that could be attributed to the fact Nozomi was her senpai and Maki did respect her as a person. Besides, Nozomi really was a good friend, full of knowledge and advice to share.

"You're over thinking this Eli..." She told herself, growing rather frustrated with her own thoughts the more time passed. "You have no reason to be jealous. We're all friends here..."

That's all they were, right? All nine of them were really good friends. There's no way Maki felt stronger feelings for Nozomi! That would be so awkward.

"What would it matter if Maki liked Nozomi... Nozomi is a wonderful person. Anyone would be stupid to not... Fall in love with her..."

 _Crap. You cant be serious Eli._ The blonde banged her head on the table. Her thoughts were seriously getting out of hand now. There was no way she had feelings for her best friend. They were **BEST FRIENDS.** Noting more than that!

Sure it would be nice to be spend more time with each other. Maybe holding hands would feel really nice too. Cuddling with each other at night was always so warm and comforting... Maybe a kiss-

Eli picked up her cup of water and splashed it on her face. "What the hell are you thinking." She whined, wiping off the excess water with her hand. It took her a moment to calm herself and finally get up. Placing the finished paperwork in the correct box, she got her stuff and made her way to the music room.

 _You don't have feelings for your best friend, Eli. You're just upset because you haven't had time to hang out._ She told herself, but she felt her face heat up when she looked at the two through the door's window.

Inside, Nozomi and Maki's fingers danced over the black and white keys, filling the air with a beautiful melody. Both were singing the lyrics written across the music sheets, Nozomi's soprano harmonizing perfectly with Maki's lower voice. The two smiled at each other as they sang, completely content with how their finish product turned out. It took a few weeks to complete, but it was worth it. It sounded amazing.

Eli couldn't help but feel a slight pang to her heart as she watched the two. She wished she was the one sitting there next to Nozomi, singing that song. Her mind completely disregarded the fact that she didn't know how to play the piano one bit, so writing a song with Nozomi like that was out of the question. Her mind began to wander a bit, only to snap out of it when she heard someone call her name.

"Elicchi! Get in here already!" Nozomi waved to her.

The blonde walked in, a slight tint to her cheeks. She wondered how long she had been standing there just staring while being called over.

"Ya must have liked the song a lot!" Nozomi giggled, taking not of Eli's expression. "You've been standing there with a stupid face for a good few minutes."

"Y-yeah! The song." Eli lied. Althought it was the song she was listening to, her mind was definitely on anything but that. "It was beautiful. I can't believe you two wrote that."

"I'm glad ya liked it!" Nozomi grinned a cheeky grin, clearly proud with her work. "Helps to have an amazing partner."

Maki's face turned a slight pink. Instead of speaking she just nodded her head.

"It was beautiful. You really have a talent for the piano, Maki." Eli tried to be polite and include the first year in the conversation.

Maki offered a small, awkward smile. "Well... Ten years of practice helps."

"Well shall we get going?" Nozomi hummed as she got up and started packing up their stuff. She noticed that the sun was already setting amd would be gone very soon. "I still gotta cook dinner and all."

"Yeah. And it's getting dark too..." Maki stood up as well and helped clean up.

As she watched the other two gather their things, Eli fumbled with her own bag. "Umm... So what are you planning to cook tonight, Nontan?"

The girl picked up her bag after closing the piano, hand reaching up to tap her lip in thought. "Hmm... I have lots of veggies and meat I need to cook. I was thinking chicken parmesan and some mixed veggies? Does that sound good?"

"Can you handle making that...?" Maki cringed a little at the thought. As much as she loved that dish, the thought of Nozomi handling rawr chicken scared her.

"Neh neh... If you're refering to the last time I made it... I promise I won't give you food poisioning this time..." Nozomi pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. Okay, last time might have been really bad so she couldn't blame Maki for feeling that way, but she really has been practicing! The trio walked out of the room and made their way towards Nozomi's apartment.

"I'm sure it will be delicious." Eli attmepted to cheer her up which seemed to work.

"See Maki-chan." Nozomi stuck out her tongue. "Elicchi believes in me."

"Well Eli-chan hasn't been fed your chicken yet." Maki sighed. Her hand reached down to her stomache to exaggerate her point.

"Oh hush, Maki-chan. This chicken parmesan is going to be so good that you're gonna wanna marry it." Nozomi smiled confidently.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to marry you so you'll cook for me more?" Maki said rather bluntly, not realizing what she said.

Both Eli and Nozomi's faces tinted itself in a light pink.

"I mean you could." Nozomi answered softly as she opened the door to her apartment. She wondered if Maki had realized what she has said, but from the indifferent look on the girl's face, she assumed Maki hadn't. "Just gotta put a ring on it."

"Nozomi!" Eli pouted, arms crossed over her chest. "Don't say such things! We're too young for that."

"Awwww are you jealous Elicchi?" Nozomi snickered. "I could marry you if you want."

It finally registered in Maki's head what had happened the past few minutes. She looked at her seniors with a rosey cheeks, not knowing what to say.

"I never said that!" Eli argued, turing her head away.

"So you don't want to marry me?" Nozomi pretended to be hurt.

"I didn't say that either..." Eli muttered.

"Oh ho ho. What an interesting development..." The purplenette was clearly amused by all of this. She turned her attention back to her junior. She began her dramatic act, placing a hand to her forehead and the other to her chest. "Looks like I have two beautiful girls who want my hand in marriage! How ever will I choose?"

The two BiBi members stared at Nozomi bright red, before turning to face each other then looking away. They both refused to speak, both thoroughly embarrassed by Nozomi's words.

Nozomi sat there laughing, tears threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes from how hard she was laughing. "Alright alright." She managed to say between breaths as she put her stuff away. "I'll stop messing around. Go ahead and make yourselves at home while I fix up dinner, kay?"

"Okay." Eli managed to mutter in a soft voice. Maki merely nodded in ressponse.

While Nozomi went off to cook in the other room, the two sat there quietly without speaking. Both were still red in the face from the previous discussion.

"Nozomi is quite something..." Eli mumbled, hoping to start a conversation with the other to break the awkwardness.

The redhead nodded in agreement. "Yeah. She really is."

Sapphires orbs met amathysts for a moment. The blonde began to chuckle causing the other to giggle until both of them were laughing.

"Oh goodness..." Eli laughed, rubbing the back of her neck as she leaned back against the couch. "Nozomi has the wildest ideas!"

"Tell me about it." Maki snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "You thought this was bad. You should've seen her last night rambling about how my songs were oh so suggestive. Nozomi, we are in high school."

"Oh geez." The blonde took a break, calming down from all the laughing. "At least you don't have her being all suggestive about you personally. That girl needs to learn some boundaries!"

"Please. Nozomi has no boundaries around me." Maki sighed. "Every time I come over she's so touchy. I get she likes the company but personal space..."

"The hugs aren't to bad..." Eli defended with a slight blush forming again. "I mean all Nozomi does is cuddle me when we sleep."

"Okay I'll give her that. The cuddles are nice." Maki looked away, feeling her face heat up again. She didn't expect the conversation to turn into this, yet for some reason she felt the need to keep discussing it. "Sometimes she kisses my cheek too."

"Well..." Eli didn't know why but that made her stomache feel strange. Okay maybe she did. It was that stupid thing called jealousy again, right? She just needed to one up Maki now. "Nozomi keeps trying to kiss my lips and it's so embrassing."

Maki now turned to look at her senior with a raised eyebrow, suprised with the change in atmosphere about this. "Is it really now? I figured you'd enjoy that."

"I could say the same to you." Eli puffed up her cheek a little and bit her tongue.

"What? What are you talking about?" Maki squinted her eyes at the other, not liking at all how this was going.

Eli just shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh nothing. It just seems to me like you really enjoy Nozomi's attention."

"And your point? Nozomi is a good _friend_. Of course I enjoy spending time with her?" Now Maki was starting to get ticked off.

"Well you've definitely been spending _a lot_ of time with her." The Russian's voice was must harsher than her usual calm. "To think, you got close enough to cuddle with Nozomi at night now? You barely talk to the rest of us during the day."

"What's the problem with that? So what if I'm getting close to Nozomi-chan?" Maki stood up, fuming. She didn't understand why Eli was acting like this all of a sudden but it was surely irritating the hell out of her.

"It's no problem." The blonde answered in a calm voice although her eyes remaind hostile. "I'm just throwing it out there because it's kinda out of character for you to suddenly just... be so touchy with anyone."

The younger girl stomped as she moved closer to Eli, towering over the blonde who was still sitting down on the chair. "I don't know what your problem is Eli, but you better knock it off. My relationship with Nozomi is none of your goddamn business."

The older girl glared back. She stood up, forcing Maki to back up a little, so now the younger had to look up at her. "I see... So there is something going on between you?"

"W-what? I didn't say... Are you seriously _jealous_ over nothing?" Maki growled, poking Eli on the shoulder.

But the blonde didn't react to the physical touch. Instead she just continued to glare angrily. "There's definitely something, at least on your part. It's so obvious. You really think Nico is the only one that noticed?"

"Eli what the fuck." Maki could barely hold her temper now, the volume of her voice rising the more she talked. "What about you? Everyone knows you're madly in love with Nozomi-chan!"

"What? That's not-"

"Oh don't give me any of your bullshit Eli." Maki didn't hesistate to cut her off. She was not having it. "You just love Nozomi oh so much and everyone knows it! You two are the perfect couple right? Everyone wants the two of you to just get together already and get married. You want that. So now that I am getting closer to Nozomi you're lashing out!"

Eli stared at Maki, doubfounded by the younger girl's words. She could feel the heat rising to her face the angier she got with the redhead.

The confident smirk on Maki's face grew, knowing she had finally taken the upperhand in this conversation. The battle was just beginning, but she was estatic to put the oh so beautiful Russian goddess in her place. "Well guess what, Eli. You don't own Nozomi. So if I want to spend time with her and she lets me, I am going to do just that. Heck. Maybe I'll just win her heart over while I'm at it~"

The laugh Maki made sent Eli off the edge. There was no way she was going to stand for all this. "Well too bad peep squeak. I'm going to win Nozomi's heart whether you like it or not. As you said, everyone is just waiting for it to happen right? I have the upperhand."

"You go on thinking that. Whatever." Maki brushed her off, not even bothering to look at her anymore. She was over it by now and had zero interest fueling Eli's hissy fit.

Just in time, Nozomi walked into the room to find the taller girls fighting. Since she was busy cooking, she didn't hear their conversation, but she definitely heard the two raising their voices at each other. She would've stepped in sooner, but she didn't want the food to burn.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, emeralds darting from one girl to the other. By the expression on their faces and body language, she could already tell the answer. "I heard yelling but... Care to explain?"

"It's nothing." Maki sighed, taking back her seat on the cough and closing her eyes.

"Ehehe... Don't worry about it." Eli laughed nervously and waved her hand to dismiss the thought.

Nozomi didn't believe either of them, but knowing the two stubborn girls in front of her, she wasn't going to get an honest answer from them if she kept pressing. "Well alright. Dinner is ready, I just have to set the table. Anyone care to lend me a hand?"

"I suppose." Maki stood up again to follow.

"I'll help." Eli quickly offered as if her life depended on it.

Nozomi again looked betwen the two and sighed softly. Whatever was going on, she had a bad feeling about it.

* * *

 **Me** : So much heat...

 **Nozomi** : I'm kind of scared...

 **Maki** : *huffing*

 **Eli** : We all know I'm going to win in the end.

 **Maki** : Excuse me?

 **Eli** : You heard me.

 **Me** : Rip... Don't forget to R&R! Let me know who you want to win.


	4. Chapter 4: Dinner Mess

**Me** : Happy Presidents Day! Finally got another chapter up.

 **Maki** : You're so slow...

 **Me** : Hey! I'm trying. Do you wanna do all my homework?

 **Maki** : I'll pass.

 **Me** : I thought so.. Hmph.

 **Maki** : Sighs. Marcy doesn't own any of us blah blah blah. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

The rest of the night was extemely awkward. No matter how hard Nozomi tried to start a simple conversation, Eli and Maki somehow turned it into an argument. For example, she simply asked how their classes were that day which turned into a competition about who had a better day.

"The teachers informed me that I won yet another university scholarship!" Eli bragged with a smile on her lips that Nozomi wasn't used to seeing.

Maki on the other hand had her usual bored expression, obviously unimpressed by Eli's achievement. "Well today I got invited to perform as a welcome ceremony at one of Tokyo's top music universities."

From there is escalated to the point where Nozomi didn't know if they were even telling the truth anymore. They were way too caught up with their stride to beat the other that the stories began to get more and more rediculous and way off topic the more they spoke. Instead of butting into the conversation, Nozomi sat there quietly eating her food and tried to figure out what got both of them so worked up all of a sudden. The two were perfectly fine only hours before, so why the sudden change.

Once she was done eating, Nozomi stood up from her seat and excused herself from the table, picking up the dirty dishes to wash.

"Let me help you with those, Nontan." Eli got up to help, but Nozomi shook her head.

"I can handle this." She shot both of them a sad and disapproving look. "Seems like you two need to work things out anyway."

Maki and Eli fell silent, waching as purple locks disappeared behind the wall into the other room. Once Nozomi was out of sight, Maki shot Eli a nasty look.

"See what you did." She growled. "You and your pettiness upsetted Nozomi-chan!"

"Petty? I did no such thing!" Eli defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

Maki rolled her eyes, leaning against the table. "You're the one who started this. If you weren't so irrationally jealous, then we wouldn't be arguing."

Eli fell silent after that. Maybe she was being a little much tonight... Wait. No! She was reacting just the way she should. Nozomi was her best friend, not Maki's, and the two of them practically declared war to see who would win Nozomi's heart. Wait... Where they actually battling for her heart or... WAIT SO DOES THAT MEAN BOTH OF THEM ACTUALLY HAD FEELINGS FOR... Ugh this was so confusing!

"For Nozomi's sake, let's call a truce the rest of the night." Eli sighed. She really didn't like fighting with Maki. They were friends afterall, but she couldn't help the burning jealousy in her body that fueled her aggression.

"That's fine with me. I don't get the point of us acting like this in the first place." Maki continued to glare at the older girl with an unhappy expression. Despite her words, Maki really was hurting inside. She didn't understand how to deal with Eli, nor did she understand her own feelings for Nozomi. For now, all she wanted was for everyone to cool down and stop making things more confusing. She was content with the way things had been anyway.

Silence once again fell over them until Nozomi returned. Maki got up and picked her stuff up from the floor, putting on her coat and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "I best head home before it gets too dark." She muttered, heading towards the door.

Nozomi walked over to Maki, and Eli followed close behind. The purplenette gave the redhead a gentle hug and a warm smile. "Get home safe, alright? Text me when you get there."

"I'll be fine. Geez Nozomi..." Maki rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile even a little as she stared at the older girl affectionately. Before she even had a chance to think about it, she leaned over to Nozomi and placed a soft peck on her cheek. Neither Nozomi nor Eli was able to say something before Maki walked out the door muttering a sweet "Good night."

Nozomi just blinked a few times, awfully surprised. Sure, Maki has become rather affectionate with her the more she opened up, even cuddling up with her at times, but for the most part Maki has been in the receiving end of the affectionate actions. A strange feeling that Nozomi didn't recognize well, warmed her, but she brushed it off to turn her attention to Eli.

"Come on Nontan! Let's watch a movie or something." The blonde waved Nozomi over with a smile to her face. In reality, she her blood was once again boiling inside her when she saw what Maki did. Her mind was telling her that the redhead did that intentionally to get to her, but at the same time she noticed how pure the younger girl's affections were towards Nozomi. This was all so frustrating! How was she could she be so angry at one of her closest friends for such things like this?

The two third years sat down on the couch. Nozomi picked up the remote and flipped through Netflix to find a movie the both of them would enjoy. "So... You going to tell me what you and Maki-chan were arguing about?"

Eli flinched. She had expected Nozomi to question her at some point on the night, but not this soon. It was going to be hard to get around this, especially since Nozomi was especially persistent when it was only the two of them. "Umm.. It's stupid really."

"It's fine if it was. I'd just appreciate knowing, seeming as the two of you were so worked up." Her voice was deeper than usual, showing how serious she was about the manner. This was a very different tone from the peppy voice she often used on a daily basis. "I care about you two very much. I don't like it when either of you guys are so upset."

The concern on Nozomi's face was evident, only making Eli feel worse. Of course she couldn't just straight up tell Nozomi what they had been arguing about, but at the same time lying felt so wrong. "It... Was a dumb BiBi thing... Nico, Maki and I have been arguing about it for weeks."

It was a good attempt at a lie, but Nozomi was not fooled. She could recognize Eli's signs whenever she was lying like the back of her hand- the way Eli looked off to the side instead of looking her in eyes... and the way she talked slower than usual to avoid stuttering. On top of that, if it was really BiBi argument, Maki would have complained to her about it by now, had it been "weeks" like Eli described. However, Nozomi decided to amuse Eli's thoughts.

"Oh was it now? Tell me about it."

Eli could feel her body temperature rising the more she panicked she felt. She absolutely hated lying to Nozomi, but there was just no way she could tell the truth. Not this time. Even if she did choose to tell the truth, she wouldn't know how to explain it.

"Well... Nico wants to be lead in the next song like she always does... Maki thinks she should because the song fits her style and voice best... I think I should because I wrote most of the lyrics."

Nozomi had to give Eli props. To anyone who didn't know her better, this was a perfectly believable senario.

"I see. Maybe you should all do rock paper scissors or something!" Nozomi chuckled. She picked a random romantic comedy, giving Eli a chance to relax. It was the blonde's favorite genre afterall.

"If only BiBi worked that way. Three stubborn hotheads. It's a blessing we survive each other!" She giggled, finally relaxing as her mind told her that Nozomi believed her lies.

"Lord knows the three of you were only grouped up because you three are the most popular memebers." Nozomi teased. She nudged the other lightly and laughed.

Eli shoved her back playfully. "As if! The gods just wanted a show of us fighting all the time. I bet they get a crack out of it."

"This may be true. I for one am thoroughly amused every time." Another chuckle and she sighed. She supposed she could let the matter go for the rest of the night. Either way, it didn't seem as though Eli had any intention of telling her the truth any time soon, so pursing the issue would end up being a lost cause. "We should head to bed soon. We still have school in the morning."

Eli frowned and grabbed Nozomi's arm. "Awww come on. I want to spend time with you! It's way too early to sleep."

"We don't have to sleep yet." The purplenette patted the other's hand. "The movie isn't over yet. I'm just reminding ya so we don't stay up til 2 in the morning again!"

"Hey that was your fault!" The blonde pouted and stuck out her tongue. "You're the one who thought playing with spirits would be fun. Scared the hell out of me all night."

"But it was fun! And I got a cute, scared little Elichika clinging on to me all night."

"If you wanted cuddles, you could have just asked and I'd be happy to oblige." Eli leaned against Nozomi and took a breath.

"Well then." Nozomi smiled softly. "Can I have some cuddles tonight?"

The question made Eli's heart feel much lighter than it had been all day. Now that she thought of it, it's been a few weeks, maybe a month now since she last slept over. The thought of being able to fall asleep next to Nozoni again was very comforting. With a happy grin, she curled up closer to Nozomi and nodded her head. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

The next day, Nozomi woke up before the sun rose like she always did. "Maki... Get up..." She mumbled, expecting the weight next to her to be the redhead. Eyes still closed, she quirmed a little in an attempt to get out of the other girl's grip. "Maki. I need ta pee."

It took a few minutes but Eli finally stirred after being nudged around. However, hearing Nozomi calling Maki's name woke her up instantaneously. Leaning up to look at the other's face, she saw that Nozomi's eyes were still closed. Only when she fully got off the other did emeralds peak behind their covers.

The first thing Nozomi saw was Eli's frowning face. It took her a moment for her mind to register why the other would be looking at her with that look, but then it clicked. "Oh... Gomen Elicchi... I'm just so used to waking up Maki in the morning as of late..."

"It's fine. I figured that was the case." Eli nodded understandingly, although the pain in her voice was evident. Has it really been so long since she slept over? The last time she had been here, she had woken up to Nozomi's playful banters and tickles as she tried to get her precious Elicchi to wake up. Now she instinctively just looked for Maki?

Nozomi could sense that Eli wasn't happy with the fact, so she tried her best to cover it up. With a giggle and a bright smile, she kissed her cheek and snuggled her tightly.

"Neh neh! What's with the long face you poooochika!" She teased while rubbing her cheek against the other's. She pulled back and made a face as if she were scolding the other for being a naughty child. "We do not frown in this house! And so early in the morning."

"Nozomi...!" Eli laughed at the faces Nozomi were making, momentarily forgetting the fact she was upset. "You're such a dork."

"And you're such a stick in the mud." She chuckled then gave her a playful wink. "But at least you're a cute one."

Eli's face was dusted in pink. For once she was thankful for the lack of light in the room since it hid the color on her face. It was nice to hear those words come out of Nozomi's mouth. The affectionate words always made her heart flutter, though it took a while for her to realize what that feeling meant. Now that she knew, she wondered if Nozomi could feel the same about her.

"You're the cute one here." Eli stated mater of factly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe.

"Ooh so serious~" Nozomi snickered as she got up and stretched her arms. "Must mean ya think that's true huh?"

She got out of bed and went to her dresser to change. It was getting late so they really should hurry up. Not caring that Eli was just sitting in bed Nozomi slipped off her nightgown to change. A loud squeak caused her to turn around despite the lack of anything to cover her torso.

"Geez Elicchi. You act like you've never seen me naked before!" Nozomi laughed, still facing Eli whole putting on her bra. "Haven't we gone to the bathhouse enough times?"

"T-that's different!" Eli huffed, a clear blush across her face though her eyes remained fixated at Nozomi's body.

"Elicchi, my eyes are up here..." The girl snickerer, very much amused by her reaction. She'd even say it was cuter than Maki's reaction the other night. "Who knew Eli Ayase was such a pervert!"

"I AM NOT! S-shut up Nozomi!" Eli shrieked. She managed to grab the blankets and throw them over her head to hide from this embarrassing situation. To think she actually sat there and stared at Nozomi while she changed, and even more so because Nozomi watched as she did just that! What the hell was wrong with her? Did she have no shame?

Eli sat there for a few moments until she heard a light giggle disappearing out the door. Nozomi must have taken pitty on her and decided to let her cool off. Man was she thankful for that. Standing up, she went to the closet and pulled out her own uniform to get dressed. The new feelings she felt for Nozomi, or rather the feeling she hadn't recognized as anything more than friendly, were very confusing. It was clear to her that she cared for Nozomi much more than just her best friend. Then there was this whole thing with Maki...

 _Geez Eli pull yourself together_! Her mind screamed at her.

This was definitely going to be a challenege, but the least she could do for now is keep her cool.

"Ooh what's that? Smells really sweet!" Walking into the kitchen, she was greeted with a sweet scent of pancakes and maple.

Nozomi turned her head slightly to give her a small wink. "Not as sweet as you."

"That is so corny!" Eli rolled her eyes and chuckled. Pulling back a chair, she sat down at the counter and waited til Nozomi placed a plate with three chocolate pancakes in front of her.

"Hush now or I'll eat all these." Nozomi giggled and got a plate for herself. She took a bite then licked her lips, satisfied with her cooking. "Best hurry up. We're gonna be late."

"It's still early..." Eli pouted while eating her food. She had to admit that Nozomi really was improving on her cooking. At the moment, she just wanted to enjoy the sweet dish that Nozomi had made especially for her. "We have all our student council work done so we have nothing to worry about!"

"I know, but the cards told me we should head out early today." She respoded while waving one card in tje air for Eli to see. "I'm not quite sure why, if its good or bad, but you know I get quite curious about these things."

"I guess I can't argue with that." Eli got up to put dishes in the sink then walked over to the door to put on her coat.

Nozomi followed suit and pulled on hee own coat as well as the scarf Eli had gotten her the year before while visiting Russia. Opening the door ams following her outside, she smiled and took Eli's hand in her own.

"Time ta see what awaits us today, hm?" She grinned and gave Eli's hand a small squeeze.

Eli couldn't help but smile back and nod in agreement. "Mhmm. Guess we'll just have to see."

* * *

 **Me** : Not too much excitement yet, but the start of it. Some paralleling with the last morning.

 **Eli** : Geez this is so embarrassing

 **Nozomi** : I dunno. I'm pretty amused.

 **Maki** : Well of course you would be. You always are...

 **Nozomi** : is that a bad thing?

 **Me** : Nope. Anyways don't forget to review! I'll post the next chapter when I have... I'd like at least 15? I just want to know how yall are liking so far and if I should continue. Constructive criticism is much welcomed!


	5. Chapter 5: Tickets to Love

**Me** : Starting the month off with a new chapter!

 **Maki** : Good. This one is about me *twirling hair*

 **Me** : Well doesn't someone like the attention?

 **Maki** : Whatever...

 **Me** : Well as Maki said, this chapter is mostly focusing on her perspective. The next couple of chapters will be in other character's to see other points of views.

 **Maki** : Marcy doesn't own us characters. Don't forget to leave a review!

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The redhead rested her head against a closed fist as she stared out the window lost in thought. The classroom was empty, as to be expected since she came in so early today, but that's what she wanted. Although she was a bit tired, being the type of person who would rather sleep in a few extra minutes- not that it would matter since she can easily as her driver to take her to school instead of walking- she decided to come to school early anyway. There was a lot she wanted to think about and she couldn't do that with her parents running around asking her to do things or her crazy friends screaming at everything and anything. Peace and quite. That's all she wanted. But was it really?

She knew herself better. Being along for long periods of time in complete silence would only cause her to over think things instead of thinking things through rationally. Maybe it would have been better if she had at least gone to the piano room so that the sound of music could help calm her thoughts, but it was too late now. Her thoughts were already running around in circles trying to figure out this mew labrynth she had been placed in.

"Stupid Nico..." She muttered under her breath, the words coming out so naturally as if she had said it a thousand times before, which she probably has.

This was all Nico's fault obviously- putting strange thoughts into everyone's heads with her crazy assumptions! As if she, Maki Nishikino, would have an actual crush on Nozomi. Nozomi Toujou, the vice president of the school, best friend to Eli Ayase. Tch. Because of that stupid assumption, Eli was on a jealous rampage and attacking her? What a predicament she was stuck in now! The only thing somewhat good thing Nico's action did was confirm that Eli was in love with Nozomi.

That's how it was supposed to be from the start anyway, wasn't it? Everyone knew that. Everyone saw it coming. The two were perfect together, they way the blanaced each other out. Eli with her uptight personality mixing will with Nozomi's playful one. The times when the blonde would get so worked up and Nozomi would be a guiding figure to help calm her down. Eli has helped Nozomi in many ways too. Eli is the one who helped Nozomi open up to people and realize she could make friends. The two of them where like... Like... Peanut butter to jelly. The stars to the night sky. The macaroni to cheese.

To hell with this chessy stuff! The point was the two completed each other and that was that! Nico had to go on and make things complicated... Eli is all pissed and now Maki and her were quote unquote fighting for Nozomi's heart... Well Eli can have it! It's not like she wanted it anyway... She was perfectly content being friends with Nozomi. Just close friends who spent time together... Friends slept over at each other's places all the time! Friend's look after each other's well being and reapected each other... They shared food and jokes and laughs. Cuddling for warmth was completely acceptable especially since Nozomi refused to turn on the goddamn heater even though she was the one that was always cold...

"I bet she does that on purpose..." Maki chuckled to herself softly, a small smile forming on her lips.

Anyway, all that was normal. It meant nothing at all of course... So why was the thought of that all going away suddenly so painful. If Eli and Nozomi dated, she should be happy for them. They were some of her best friends afterall and their happiness was important to her. It didn't matter if it meant she couldn't spend as much time with Nozomi as she used to. They could still hang out together, although it probably meant no more cuddles seeing as though Eli was the jealous type. No more sleepovers unless Eli was okay with it, which she might not approve very often... She supposed the tickets she held in her hand were out of the question.

Delicate fingertips held the two slips of paper in front of her face so she could see every letter printed on the sheet. Nozomi had be going on and on about this foreign musical that was coming into town for months now, but decided not to go depite the fact it was obvious she was dying to. When Maki asked why, Nozomi had said that she didn't want to go alone, but everyone was so busy with the next live scheduled only days after the musical so she didn't want to be a bother. That answer was most rediculous response Maki could have gotten, but from the look in Nozomi's eyes she could see that the violet was very much sincere with her thoughts. It seemed as though Nozomi hasn't completely gotten over her shyness, even if she had managed to make friends with all of them. Maki couldn't help but find that a bit cute in the back of her mind. To think her rambunctious senpai still had a rather timid side to her. It was a bit ironic to say the least.

Maki wanted to surprise Nozomi with the gift. Besides, Maki wanted to see the musical anyway... From what Nozomi had told her about storyline, she just had to watch it reguardless if Nozomi would come with her or not. It didn't hurt to go alone and since Nozomi wanted to go, she might as well invite the purplenette. Going with someone else would just be irrational in her opinion.

As much as she didn't want to bother with this silly battle she and Eli were supposed to be having, she decided she wanted to go with Nozomi to the musical. There was no way in hell she was going to let that blonde push her around just because she was jealous. Nozomi is her friend too so if she wanted to see a goddamn show with her, then she was going to the damn show with her- and how terrible would it look on Eli's part if she wouldn't let Nozomi go see the musical she had been dying to see just because Maki was with her. Now that would just be plain selfish!

As if on cue, the two seniors could be seen approaching the front entrance of the school. A few students were already arriving now, but not many since there was still another good half an hour plus until the bell would ring. Actually she was surprised to see her two senpais here so early, especially since Nozomi had told her that they were on top of all their student council work for the week.

An odd feeling ran through her body at seeing the two walk together so close. It was as if they were already dating for crying out loud! Maki decided to just attribute the somewhat heavy feeling to the fact she was upset with Eli for attacking her without reason. That's all it was. It's not like she was jealous of Eli or anything. That would be rediculous...

Getting up from her seat, she fixed her clothes and reached to tuck the piece of paper in her poket only to get tackled.

"Ohayoooo Maki-chan, nya!" The ginger cheered while tightly clinging to the redhead's neck.

"Ehe... G-good morning Maki-chan..." Hanayo squeaked quitely behind them.

Once Maki recovered from her surprise, she gasped for air from behing attacked so suddently and growled. "Rin! What the hell?! I told you to stop doing that!"

"Ehehe... Gomenyasai!" Rin let go of Maki and rubbed the back of her neck with a small, embarrassed tint on her cheeks. "I just got soooo excited to see nyou!"

"You don't see Hanayo trying to kill me every morning..." Maki sighed and rolled her eyes. She leaned down to her knees to look for the tickets she had dropped.

Hanyo bent down next to her. "W-what are you looking for, Maki-chan?"

"Just two pieces of paper Rin made me drop... Geez Rin... You have to be more careful!" Maki continued to frown even though she didn't look up at the cat-like girl.

"Is it these?" Rin asked, holding up the slips of paper to her face and reading the tickets. Her eyes brightened up with excitement. "Oh! These are for the play Nyozomi-chan wants to go see!"

"Give me those...!" Maki snatched the tickets out of Rin's hand and quickly tucked it into her pocket.

"You're going to take her right? That's why there's two tickets, nya?" Rin smiled and stuck out two thumbs up for Maki. "Guess Maki-chan really does like Nyozomi after all!"

The redhead's face flushed as she turned her head away from her two friends. "D-don't say such rediculous things!"

Hanayo placed a soft hand on Maki's shoulder and offered her a reassuring smile. "I think Rin meant as friends-"

"Uhhhh no I didn't nya?" Rin piped in with a pout. "Maki-chan has feelings for Nozomi! We talked about this yesterday, remember Kayo-chin...?"

Maki glared at the ginger, making it hard to tell if the redness from her cheeks were because of embarrassment or anger. "Will you shut up already Rin?! Don't go off assuming things like Nico-chan!"

Rin frowned at Maki. "But... Why else would you get tickets for her? You obviously care about her a lot. Nyozomi is going to be awfully happy when you give them to her... Nya..."

Hanyo gave Rin a look that told her to cut it out, before she gave Maki a small squeeze on the shoulder. "Don't m-mind Rin-chan too much. You should just do what you need to do..."

Maki sighed, being coaxed by Hanyo's gentleness to at least try and relax herself. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Mhmm. And we will support you always!" Hanyo smiled softly at her.

"Yeah! Get 'er Maki-chan!" Rin nodded in agreement. "Don't let Eli-chan scare ya off."

Again Hanayo gave Rin a nasty look, caysing the catgirl to flinch. The two looked at Maki whose smile all but disappeared. "Yeah... Thanks guys." Maki signed and walked out of the room before the two could say anything more.

Rin felt a thump to her head and looked up to find that Hanayo had karate chopped her forhead. "Stupid Rin-chan... You upsetted Maki-chan..."

"Nya... I didn't mean to Kayo-chin..." Rin puffed up her cheeks then let out a small sigh. "But you know it's true. You and I both know that we are going to have lots drama in the group nyow..."

"Maybe... Hopefully it can be avoided..." Hanayo sat down on top of one of the desks and began to fiddle around with her fingers. "I don't think Maki has realized it, and if she has, she definitely hasn't accepted that she has feelings for Nozomi-chan."

"We that's dumb though. Maybe it wasn't obvious to anyone but Nico yesterday, both you and I see it plain as day." Rin mimicked Hanayo's actions and sat on top of the free desk across from her.

"That's because we spend the most time with her since we're classmates." Hanayo reasoned. She took another minute to think before speaking up again. "T-to be honest, I wouldn't have noticed it if you didn't bring it up."

"Really?" Rin tilted her head. She didn't understand what Hanyo meant by that until a few moments later when it clicked in her head. She let out a small chuckle. "Oh right! Because of how much Nyozomi tells me about her adventures with Maki-chan during Lily White meetings, nya?"

"Mhmm... From what you said, Nozomi-chan seems to be very happy spending time with Maki too."

"That's obvious. Nyozomi can go on and on for hours about how much fun she has with Maki-chan! Makes me kinda jealous sometimes since she doesn't hang out with me as much anymore, nya!" Rin huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

The childish action was enough to make Hanayo giggle at her childhood best friend. "Well I guess you know how Eli-chan must be feeling..."

"Huh? Oh... R-right nya..." Rin rubbed the back of her neck with a sigh. "This really is going to be troublesome, huh?"

"M-maybe... Mmm... I really hope not!" The girl frowned and let out a frustrated squeak, tears already forming in her eyes at the thoughts running in her head. "I love muse so much... I don't w-want to see all our hard work... And our frindships get all weird because of this..."

Rin reached out and held Hanyo's hands in her own, a thumb gently caressing the girl's soft skin. "Honestly I think it would hurt Nyozomi the most to see that happen... She worked so hard to bring the nine of us together." Rin tried her best to force a small for Hanyo's sake, but it was rather difficult since she was upset too. "Plus she doesn't even know that she's stuck in the middle of this... Not yet anyway... Maybe I should warn her?"

"No, Rin-chan... If you t-tell her now, things will just get more complicated!" Hanyo stammered in between her whimpers. She tried her best to wipe the tears out of her eyes with her sleeve. "Oh Rin-chan... I j-just don't want to watch anyone get hurt..."

"I don't either..." Rin sighed, looking out the window to see Maki slowly approaching the older girls who were across the courtyard.

"What if muse b-breaks up because of this! What if we can't all be friends anymore and-and...-"

"Hey! Hey!" Rin patted Hanyo's cheek, forcing the other to take a breath and relax. "You're thinking way too much into this... Nyothing has happened okay? And if something does, we always have each other, nya..."

"Ehe... J-just like always, huh?" Hanayo sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

Rin hopped off the desk and went to give Hanayo a soft hug. She patted the girl on the back, trying to help the frantic girl calm down from her excitement. "Mhmm... Everything is going to be just fine. You'll see nya!"

"Dumb Rin, doesn't know what the hell she's talking about..." Maki grumbled under her breath as she walked across the hallway and down the stairs. "She and Hanayo spend way too much time with Nico..."

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Still, what the ginger had said really did get to her. Maybe there was something that she just didn't realize. Delicate hands pulled out the tickets again and held it gently. It did take her quite a bit to get these things. Money wasn't the issue, but these things sold out so quick. She actually had to stay up since they sold in American time and press the button right when it ticket sales opened. God knows if she hadn't done it, she wouldn't have gotten it. They sold out in a matter of minutes. She had figured they would sell out fast since a foreign country's musical would be playing, but she still didn't expect many to care so much that they'd lose sleep just to get tickets.

Care, huh. So maybe she did care about Nozomi a lot. At least she couldn't think of anyone else she would stay up into the godly hours of the night just to buy some stupid tickets for a stupid musical... Even if she wanted to go herself, she would've waited til the morning to buy them instead of staying up all night. She did love her sleep afterall...

By the time she got to the front door, she manages to break herself out of her thoughts. Once outside, she looked around until her eyes spotted the two seniors across the court yard sitting under a cheery blossom tree. The two seemed to be laughing about something, probably a joke Nozomi said or something like that. The purplenette reached over to tuck one of the pink blossoms behind Eli's ears, causing the blonde to giggle in response.

"They really are perfect together, huh...?" Maki siged, her heart sinking to her stomach. It's not like she should care so much! She didn't like Nozomi like that, so why did she feel so sad all of a sudden? Just watching the two of them being so close... It never used to bother her before, so why now? Why was her mind being flooded with emotions, sadness, anger, maybe even jealous? It was annoying her greatly to say the least.

Doing her best to shake off the emotions, she walked towards the girls with her usual indifferent expression.

"Ahhh Maki-chan!" Nozomi waved at her with a bright smile on her face when she noticed the girl approaching.

"Good morning." Eli also smiled, in too good of a mood to be spiteful today.

"Morning..." Maki replied, twisting red locks between her fingers and stopping in front of them. She didn't have time to chit chat, or rather she didn't want to, so she pulled out one ticket and handed it to Nozomi. "Here. I was going to give it to you when I slept over again but I didn't want to lose it."

Nozomi blinked in surprise, completely stunned when she read the piece of paper. Words were unable to form on her lips and anything she did try to say came out as a incoherent mumble.

"Huh? What is it?" Eli looked at the paper confused. It seemed to be a ticket for some show that she's never heard about.

"Maybe if you paid more attention to Nozomi, you'd know she'd been dging to see this play for months." Maki scoffed, raising an eyebrow at the blonde. Eli just puffed out air angrily as a response.

"M-maki-chan?" Nozomi finally managed to stutter once she looked up at the girl. She hadn't even noticed the small exchange the two had. "Are you sure?"

"I got it for you, ya big dummy." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Who else would I take with me?"

Nozomi got up from her seat and threw her arms at the redhead, tears practically forming in her eyes from her excitement. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She squealed, squeezing Maki tightly.

"Ya better appreciate it." Maki couldn't help but chuckle at seeing the girl so happy. She eyed Eli only to find the somewhat bitter expression on her face, which only made her laugh a little more. "I stayed up til 3am waiting for sales to open up last week."

Nozomi made a playful gasp as she pulled back to look at the younger. "You gave up sleep for me? How sweet!"

"Yeah yeah don't get used to it. I just wanted you to shut up about the stupid musical already and I knew if I went without you, you'd have my head." Maki made up some more excuses, twirling her hair again.

"Awww come on, just admit!" Nozomi grinned and poked at her cheek. "You know you love me~"

"Tch. Whatever." Maki replied, but the words did stick in her head. Love Nozomi huh? Maybe she did. But aren't friends supposed to love each other?

The warning bell rung, signaling for everyone to start making their way to their homerooms. Maki was glad so that she wouldn't have to deal with Nozomi's cute annoying teasing or Eli's sour faces. She was just grateful the blonde hasn't said anything to her.

"Well I guess we should head to class." Eli spoke in her regular calm voice as she got up from her seat.

"Awww already?! I don't wanna start class yet, uwah..." Nozomi whined.

"Aww stop being such a big baby." Eli laughed and took Nozomi's hand to tug her away while shooting Maki a look. The one advantage she had over the redhead was being able to keep Nozomi all to herself during class time.

"Neh... I am not!" Nozomi sighed. "Bye Maki-chan! See ya at lunch."

Maki nodded in response and waved before turning around to head towards her own homeroom. Rin's voice rung on the back of her head when she remembered Nozomi's smiling face when she gave her the tickets. So she really was able to make Nozomi happy, huh? Rin was at least right about that. Maybe she didn't understand her feelings right now. Things right now were so confusing and complicated and just all over the place. But there was one thing Maki was definitely sure of. She liked making Nozomi happy.

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 **Rin** : Yay! I was in this chapter more nyaaaaa~

 **Me** : Yepp! Needed a little RinPana to make the story more dense.

 **Maki** : *huffs*

 **Me** : Ehe... Anyway let me know whos points of view you wanna see. I plan to show Nozomi's, Eli's and a few others so give me your ideas!


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